Groups Petition Trump for Tech Infrastructure Boost

The heads of 17 technology and telecommunications trade groups have written Donald Trump urging him to make tech infrastructure upgrades a key element in his promised infrastructure spending blitz.

The President-elect has promised to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure upgrades, but Silicon Valley wants to make sure that fiber is on the agenda alongside concrete and steel .

"As you advance investment in traditional infrastructure, we urge also investing in technology infrastructure," said the letter, signed by the top execs of organizations including the Consumer Technology Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Entertainment Software Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association. "Such investments that enable new advances can be an avenue to prosperity and international competitiveness just as much as rebuilding roads and bridges will contribute enormously to our economy."

They also pushed for tax reforms and "modernizing" rules and regulations on international data transfers.

The trade group heads also included recommendations for the Trump transition team on the key administration positions for driving tech growth and investment, saying, "A critical early step in achieving your goals of moving the country forward in a productive way will be identifying the right people for critical positions."